A wide variety of approaches have been developed to produce three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound images using both one-dimensional (1D) ultrasound arrays and two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound arrays. The use of 1D ultrasound arrays to produce 3D ultrasound images requires methods to determine the position and orientation of acquired 2D ultrasound images within the 3D ultrasound image volume. The use of 2D ultrasound arrays to produce 3D ultrasound images requires a 3D scan-converter to build the 3D ultrasound images from the sequence of transmit acoustic signals.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,095 to Downey et al., the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a 3D ultrasound imaging system for the eye, prostate and other organs, comprising an assembly onto which an ultrasound probe may be mounted, a motor and drive for either rotating or scanning the ultrasound probe relative to the human organ under investigation, and a computer for executing software for controlling movement of the assembly to rotate or scan the ultrasound probe. Ultrasound signals from the probe are processed via a clinical ultrasound machine for generating multiple 2D ultrasound images of the organ. The software executed on the computer collects the 2D ultrasound images of the clinical ultrasound machine and reconstructs the 2D ultrasound images to form a 3D ultrasound image which can be viewed and manipulated in real time, or stored for later retrieval.
Improvements in 3D ultrasound imaging are generally desired. It is therefore an object at least to provide a novel actuator for moving an ultrasound probe and a novel ultrasound imaging system employing the same.